This green bean casserole is easy to make, and doesn’t require cream of mushroom soup, so you get great, from-scratch flavor but without extra hassle.
Green bean casseroles notoriously call for cream of mushroom soup. Do you know what’s in that stuff? Okay, it tastes alright, but it is full of preservatives and texture enhancing chemicals that you can’t pronounce. Why use it when you can make this casserole with better, healthier ingredients and create something even tastier? You’ll never have to beg your kids to eat their green beans when they’re made using this delicious recipe.
This recipe is an easier version of my Old Fashioned Green Bean Casserole, which is all from scratch. In this version, you will use canned green beans and prepared fried onions, which makes it simpler, faster and easier than my traditional method. Even so, this recipe is far superior to the ones that use cream of mushroom soup in them.
You will be cooking half a pound of bacon until it is crispy and then making a rue with some flour in the same pan. Then, you will add some delicious spices, half and half and chicken broth. After that, you’ll bake the whole mix and then add the fried onions for the last five minutes of bake time. You’re going to love these green beans!
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Can I use fresh green beans instead of canned?
Yes, just make sure they are softened in advance. We recommend steaming for 15 to 20 minutes. Here is a great help for doing that: How to Cook the Best Green Beans Ever.
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Can I use whole or 2% milk instead of half and half?
Yes. You should avoid using skim milk, as it is too lean. On the other hand, you can use heavy cream if you want an even richer casserole.
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Is there a way to make my own fried onions?
Yes. Instructions for doing that are included in my Old Fashioned Green Bean Casserole Recipe. You’ll need
If you’re looking for awesome holiday recipes, here are some that will bring the flavor to your celebrations:
- Easy Peasy Pumpkin Pie
- The Creamiest Mashed Potatoes
- Juiciest Turkey Recipe Ever
- The Best Sweet Potato Casserole
Watch the video below where Rachel will walk you through every step of this recipe. Sometimes it helps to have a visual, and we’ve always got you covered with our cooking show. You can find the complete collection of recipes on YouTube, Facebook Watch, or our Facebook Page, or right here on our website with their corresponding recipes.
Easy Green Bean Casserole (No Cream of Mushroom!)
- 1/2 pound bacon diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup half and half
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 3 (15 ounce cans) green beans drained
- 1 1/2 cups french fried onions
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add in diced bacon and cook until crispy, about 12 minutes. Do not drain grease*. Stir in flour until completely dissolved, about 3 minutes. Add in garlic and saute 60 seconds. Pour in chicken broth, half and half, black pepper, and nutmeg. Bring to a boil and let simmer until thickened, about 3 minutes.
- Place green beans into a lightly greased 9×13 pan. Pour bacon mixture over the green beans and toss to coat. Bake in the 450 degree oven for 15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and sprinkle the fried onions over the top. Return to the 450 degree oven for 5 minutes before serving.
Can you make this the day before you need it? Then reheat it in the oven?
Did you try this?! I’d love to know if it went well! I thought about prepping everything before hand cooking the next day.
Made this as directed, and added 1/2 tsp of Trader Joe’s Umami mushroom seasoning powder. OMG Tim!
Made this exactly as directed for thanksgiving and it was deeelicious! Definitely will make again. I used French cut beans and added water chestnuts. I will say I added an extra can of green beans and could have added more if you if you want to add more volume!
Yummmm
Added some diced mushrooms at the same time as the bacon. Used whole milk. It was delicious.
This is my first time to try this instead of the old traditional with cream of mushroom soup. I just made the sauce and it is delicious!! Thanks for sharing this!
Hi,
I love the look of this casserole because it isn’t soupy / watery….. that’s the thing I’ve always disliked about green bean casserole. I am going to add mushrooms, use heavy cream and use pork rinds as the topping… I just can’t wait to make this for our holiday meal… so many of my family are low carb now and I’m sure they are going to love this. Thank You so much for a great recipe.
This green bean casserole looks delicious. We have been trying to eat healthier by making more things homemade and cutting out many of the additives and preservatives found in processed foods. I was hoping to find a good cream of mushroom soup recipe that I could substitute in the green bean casserole for the canned variety since this is one of my favorite holiday dishes. Most of my family loves the mushrooms. Do you think adding mushrooms when making the sauce would work for this recipe?
As I read the recipe I had the same thoughts. I am thinking that they could be sauteed and added to the other ingredients prior to baking.
Yes it would. I would suggest sauteing the mushrooms in the bacon fat than continue with the recipe. I’m a trained chef been cooking for over 25 years. Should taste wonderful. Ps dont salt the mushrooms they will get all the needed salt in bacon fat.
Everyone in my family loves green been casserole. When I saw this I knew I was going to make it on Thanksgiving. Everyone, kids, grandkids, and in-laws, though it was not ony the best I’ve ever made. But many said it was the best they’ve ever had. This is my new official go-to green bean casserole recipe.
Thanks again Rachel.
I am making this recipe for the first time today – can’t wait to try it. I’ll let you know how it turns out!